Utility systems, such as an electrical utility system, are monitored by a network of monitoring devices (e.g., circuit breaker, relay, metering device, or power meter) coupled to a computer for monitoring various parameters or characteristics of the electrical utility system. The network of monitoring devices and the computer are typically referred to collectively as a power monitoring system.
The monitoring devices contain firmware and application software that are either provided by the manufacturers of the monitoring devices or by third party vendors. The manufacturers or third party vendors often release updated versions of existing firmware or software to support new features or fix bugs. However, users of the monitoring devices are often unaware of new versions of firmware or software that may be available. Additionally, manufacturers and third party vendors often issue product-related notifications (e.g., recall notices, safety notices, security notices, etc.). However, users of the monitoring device are also often unaware of these notifications.
One reason for users' lack of awareness regarding software updates and notifications is that the software updates and notifications are often available through the Internet only. Manufacturer or third party vendor websites typically contain information related to all products supported by the manufacturer or third party vendor, putting a burden on the user to locate the specific information that is relevant to the monitoring devices operated by the user.
Unlike many electronic devices, utility monitoring devices (e.g., power monitoring devices) are often intentionally isolated from the Internet for security purposes. Accordingly, such monitoring devices cannot communicate directly with a manufacturer or third party vendor website to automatically receive notifications and software updates relevant to those particular monitoring devices.